Oblivion
by shannyfish
Summary: She finds herself thrust into The Glade amongst a group of strangers, like her...on their first day, no one knew their name. Why do people seem familiar to her? Why are they all there? What is beyond The Wall? What is ARGUS? Inspired by "Mazerunner". Please read author's note for pairings and rating info!
1. The Glade

**Author's Note:** I will give fair warning, that this rating will be jacked up to E (which for you guys will mean M and then if you want the E stuff, you'll have to migrate over to AO3 to read), possibly by the next chapter. I purposely went through and added LOTS of the relationship tags that I knew where going to be coming (Olicity, CanArrow, Raylicity/AtomicSmoak, AtomicCanary, SpeedyArsenal). There WILL be pairings from "The Flash" cast, but I hadn't decided. I AM thinking that there will be SnowBarry, WestAllen, and whatever the Iris/Eddie pairing is called. We'll definitely see if that's it, though ;) I'll update it as soon as I know!

* * *

 _"Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves." ~ Henry David Thoreau_

* * *

When she woke, she didn't know anything. All she knew was that she was in the dark. Feeling around, she found that she was in something that felt like the walls were made of some kind of large metal mesh. It was cold to the touch and as her fingers laced through, she wondered if she was in a cage. It was odd. She didn't know who she was or where she was…or anything about her, but she knew things. Moving around the cage, she kept feeling for an opening, but she didn't find anything. It was too high, she couldn't reach the ceiling, which she felt was both a good thing and a bad thing.

Suddenly, the cage lurched sending her falling to the hard bottom. There was a metallic grinding sound and she suddenly realized that she was being taken upward. Turning her head upward as she moved to the edge, determined to get back to her feet again. It swayed and she was thankful that she was clinging to the wall or else she was certain that she would have been thrown backward.

A growling sound echoed through whatever black void she was traveling through and even though she didn't know what it emanated from, she knew to fear it. It was confusing and troubling not to know anything…at least of importance.

It continued to creak upwards and all she could think was that it wasn't right. Why did she know that? Was it instinct? Was it prior knowledge? What told her that? The cage swayed even more now and the sound of the grinding metal seemed to sound like it was straining all of the sudden. It halted, but only for a moment. She was on her feet, both hands holding onto the the side, fingers laced through and holding on for dear life, when all of the sudden something leapt from the dark and knocked the cage to sway it. The only reason she knew it was something was that she'd seen some kind of light or glow. She didn't know how to explain it, but all of the sudden the growl echoed louder and she knew that it had come from whatever had attacked the cage she was in.

Was that it?

Was she to be a meal?

Moving backwards, she found herself falling back and sliding across the metallic floor as the cage seemed to bolt upwards in one sharp and unexpected motion. She let out a scream and reached out to grab hold of something. Anything, she thought, anything that could help steady her. Her fingers only found smooth metallic surface though as she continued to slide to one side and then back another way. Eventually, she found the wall again. Clinging to it, she sat there with her back to whatever lay beyond the darkness that she was being pulled upward through.

It felt like too long.

How long had it been?

She had no concept of time in that void.

It felt like a lifetime to her.

The cage finally came to a shuddering halt. Her body bounced and she found herself unable to willingly letting go of the wall. Her fingers felt like they might have been cut from the metal mesh wall, from clinging to it too tightly, but she didn't care…it had kept her in place and from being bounced all over the place.

Time passed.

Silence filled the space.

Calmness overtook her.

Eventually, she allowed herself to relax enough to release her fingers from where they'd found themselves laced. Closing her eyes, she focused on breathing and thinking. Was there anything personal that she could remember? She had to have a name. It hit her, she didn't even know what color her hair was—wait, did she have hair? Immediately, she reached up to make sure, it was pulled back into a ponytail. There was no mental image of herself in her head, nothing of HER.

It was unsettling.

Where was she going?

It didn't seem currently like she was going to be dinner (at least not soon).

Would there be people?

Would they be able to help her?

Would they know her?

Did it matter?

All she kept hoping was that there was a world beyond the void. 

* * *

She'd almost completely passed out when suddenly there was a huge metal creaking. It scared her after sitting in the dark silence for so long. Her eyes opened, but she closed them almost immediately when bright light flooded her cage. As much as it hurt her eyes to take in that stark light, it warmed her skin.

Was this it?

Was this where she was going?

"Female," someone shouted from above.

She'd figured out that much on her own. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to open, but she didn't look straight upward. It wasn't until she felt like her eyes had completely adjusted to the overwhelming brightness that she allowed herself to look upward. What she found, it wasn't what she expected. Though, to be honest, she really hadn't expected ANYTHING. She'd just been lost…confused…and—more confused.

Several faces stared down at her. It was a mix of females and males. They all, for the most part, seemed to be around the same age. Even the ones who looked younger, she felt like she knew that they were all about the same age. Looks could be deceiving. They were just looking at her. They'd simply said 'female', which made her feel like they wouldn't have answers for her.

No name.

There was something so wrong, so painful about not having a name. She hated it. As she searched her brain, she KNEW names, but none of them seemed right. A name had to belong to her, though. She couldn't be nameless, could she?

It was then that she realized that she could properly take in her surroundings. It was a lot like a cage. A lift, she realized. A crude one. Something that her brain told her was for cargo. A cargo lift. Why was she in it, though? How was she going to get out to the others? Did she get out? The only distinguishing marks on the inside, she realized, was at her feet. Large, bold, black letters were painted on the floor of the lift.

ARGUS.

What was ARGUS?

It felt familiar.

Why did things feel familiar?

Were there still memories in her head?

Was she still the person she had been before she'd been tossed in there?

"You confused?" a voice asked. It belonged to a male and it was deep, but there was something about that that told her that she could trust it.

Looking upward, she found whom the voice belonged to. He seemed older than the rest, but not by much. He had dark skin and seemed to be the one in charge of things…whatever there was to be in charge of. "Yes," she spoke for the first time. Her voice seemed both foreign and yet familiar. She hated that feeling. She hated feeling like she wasn't right or like she wasn't whole.

"Good, then you're just like the rest of us," he told her. "We're going to get you out of there…if you're ready…if you can stay calm… We don't have time to baby you…"

Baby her?  
Why would they have to baby her?

"Please help me out," she found herself pleading.

"Let's get her out," he said and then crouched down and stared at her. "My name's John."

"I'm—" And she realized she still didn't know who she was.

He seemed amused by her confusion and inability to recall herself. That only angered her, but at the same time…she couldn't find a reason to keep mad at him. Why was that? Did she know him? Did he know her?

"You're the newbie… Don't worry, your name will come back to you," John assured.

Two men jumped down into the cage with her with ease. One was younger than the other, but both had short cropped hair and were wearing jeans and a solid colored shirt. One was in dark green and the other was in a crimson red. She had so many questions, but they didn't seem like they were really there to talk. Their jobs were currently to get her out of there, which she wanted very badly.

"Hey newbie," the red shirt remarked. "I'm Roy." He paused for a moment and then spoke slowly, "Just…don't run…"

"Really?" the green shirt asked the other.

"What? I don't want her to end up being left in The Box or thrown into The Pit because she freaks out." He looked over at her. The red shirt was younger looking. He had dark brown hair and kind eyes, even though he seemed to have a bit of an attitude. It was youthful, though. "Seriously…this guy…he gave me the crappiest peace of advice possible my first day here."

"I told you to just breathe," the guy in green told him. He was bigger than the other one, slightly older, and definitely far more muscled. He had close cut sandy blonde hair and piercing eyes. There was something about him, something that drew her to him. Something that made her feel like she could trust him, like she knew him. "And you flipped out! Of course, we're going to leave you down in this hellhole for the night…"

She just stood there, watching and listening.

"You're going to scare her," the red one said.

The other one just shook his head.

Suddenly, they were joined by a woman. There was something about her that told you that she was strong, someone who could handle herself. She had long blonde hair that hung around her shoulders. She was wearing a black tank top and shorts. Her boots made a heavy sound as she made contact with the bottom of the lift. "You guys going to actually get her out anytime soon?" the woman asked them and then turned to her. "I'm Sara. Let's get you out of here."

Sara.

She just stared at her. The woman was smiling at her and like the other, she felt some kind of connection with her. She didn't know why. Her eyes were bright and shone as she smiled. "Okay," she finally said.

"Roy! Oliver! Let's go! Let's get her out of here!" Sara told them.

"You know, we totally had it," Roy told her grumpily.

"Yeah, sure…eventually," Sara said. "We all have jobs to do and we needed her out of this box before night falls…"

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Roy and Oliver helped her up and John was there at the top to pull her out. The others seemed to be out of The Box far quicker than she'd made it out. Obviously they had a lot of training in doing so, or training in climbing things. Either way, they made it look easy. The crowd had subsided and there were just a couple standing around with John when she made it to the top.

The people weren't what caught her attention, though, it was the landscape that surrounded her. The Box that she'd just come out of was in the ground of this green beautiful area that was surrounded on all sides by a fierce mammoth stone wall. It was all flat and green, grassy and just…peaceful. There was a corner that held a pocket of trees that darkened the area, but she'd noticed immediately that none of the crude structures were near it. The structures in the area, they were clearly man made. There were crops and a flurry of activity going on that she couldn't even begin to place.

"We call it The Glade," John told her as he stood besides her. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions—"

"A plethora," she responded, her eyes never stopping their scanning of the area.

He laughed. "A plethora, huh?" That seemed to amuse him, but she didn't care. "Those will have to wait, though…"

"I'll take her around," Sara volunteered, instantly at her other side.

"You sure?"

She looked over to Sara, who just shrugged in response. "Today's sort of a quiet day. I'm sure that this would be a better use of my time, don't you? Do you really need me in other places?"

"Not today," John said as he tilted his head back and forth for a moment. "You sure? She'll be your charge?"

Sara looked her over. "How much trouble could she really be?"

Suddenly Oliver was throwing his arm over Sara's shoulders. "That's what I said about Roy…"

"Hey!" Roy complained as he came into view.

It was then that she realized that he'd closed the doors to the box. A million questions raced through her head JUST about The Box. John had said not today, but she had a feeling that they were questions that she could ask Sara about. It was only a moment before John and Roy started to wander off towards what looked like a compound of sorts. She didn't miss Oliver kissing Sara before leaving her and joining John. How long had they all been there? Did they know each other before? They all knew their own names, but—

"Don't worry, by tomorrow…you'll be feeling a lot better about being here," Sara told her. "You should wake up and remember your name."

"Just my name?" she asked.

Sara shrugged. "That's how it works."

"You and Oliver—"

Sara smiled. "Oliver and I have been in The Glade for two years now… When I got her, I was like you. I didn't know my name. I didn't know anything. I didn't know Oliver." She shrugged. "So when I tell you that tomorrow things will be better, you'll understand. Knowing your name can help a lot."

"And until tomorrow?"

Sara put an arm around her. "Let me show you around! This place is home for you now. Welcome!" 

* * *

Her tour of The Glade only brought up more questions. She'd tried to press Sara for answers, but she'd gotten very little answers. Most of the responses had been 'it's not my place to stay' or 'that's not a question for your first day'. The thing was, she was full of questions. Questions about everything and things and people felt familiar to her, but foreign at the same time. It was an odd and unnerving thing.

"Do I get answers tomorrow?"

"You should know your name by then," Sara reminded. "That's how it works with everyone…"

"I doubt that 'newbie' is really going to grow on me, so hopefully it works that way," she commented. There was something inside of her that felt the need to hunger for answers and yet doubt things all at the same time. It had to be whatever made her feel the familiar and yet foreign feeling. Maybe she was just a mess like that. Had it always been like that for her? Her whole life? Whatever that had been before the box…before The Glade? "What now?" she asked.

"The Runners will be back soon," Sara said. "A lot of us like to go and wait for them…and then…dinner…and tonight, let me tell you…it's going to be a good one."

"Oh?"

"Every month we get a newbie, we throw a huge party. It's sort of like a celebration of you being here, though to be honest…I think they did it more just to have an excuse to drink more and to make build up the fires," Sara told her. "It'll definitely be fun though. It'll give you a good chance to meet everyone else. Most people are pretty cool, but I think it's an instinct thing…either you click with someone or you don't. If you don't, just do everyone a favor…including yourself…and just stay away from that person. The last thing we need is a fight. John doesn't tolerate fighting amongst the group."

With all the people there, with how they were contained within the Glade, she didn't see how there COULDN'T be fighting here and there. "I know there's the pit, but is there really anything that he can do to really stop it?" The pit was the closest thing they had to a jail cell. It was apparently used just to cool down people, short term…not long term. "I mean, what can you do?"

"Banish them."

"Banishment?" she asked as they walked towards the opening in The Wall. "How would you banish—" Her eyes had been on Sara the entire time and when Sara's gaze drifted in response, her head turned as well. She meant beyond The walls. They were banished into the place that Sara had told her ONLY the Runners go. The place that she'd made sounded like something out of tales you tell children, so they'll be too scared to disobey. She didn't even know how Sara had done it. Maybe it was the way she spoke…or maybe it was her tone…or maybe it was the way she didn't tell her things (which really should only make her curious)… Whatever it was, she hadn't felt the need to visit The Wall closer than they'd already done so earlier in the day.

She hated mysteries.

The Wall was a mystery.

Before she could really even process things, words and questions and rambling just spilled from her. This didn't feel wrong. This had to be who she was. A person who questioned things. A person who hated mysteries. A person who liked to know things. Right now, she wanted to know about The Wall…and what lay beyond it. "Where does it lead? Why do only the Runners go in there? Why would you banish—"

"Whoa! Whoa!" Sara said quickly and grabbed her arm, halting her almost instantly. "Remember how I said that some questions you just don't need to have answers for on your first day?" She just stared at Sara. "THIS…it's definitely one of them."

"Tomorrow?"

"Maybe next month…when you're not a newbie anymore," Sara told her.

"I thought I won't be a newbie after tomorrow—"

Sara laughed. "Just because you'll remember your name doesn't mean that you won't be a newbie anymore. You'll still be the newest person sent to The Glade…at least until next month…"

So many questions.

The Wall.

What lay beyond.

An entire month?

Could she really wait that long?

Looking to where the opening in The Wall, where people were already gathering not far from where they currently stood, and then back at Sara, she just didn't know how she was going to be able to deal with a lack of answers. "Have you been beyond The Wall?"

Sara just stared back at her. "Yeah…I have…"

"But you're not out there today…"

"No," Sara said. "I told John I'd be your liaison of sorts… So, the other Runners left already… It's not a big deal. They'll be fine without me. It's just ONE day."

"But how you talk about it…about being banished beyond The Wall…there has to be something in there," she continued.

Sara didn't respond with an answer, but rather put an arm around her and guided her to the front and center of the group already formed. Once there, she just stared. She didn't know what she expected to see, but all it was was more stone formed into tall walls…walls that formed—

"A maze," she whispered.

They were in the middle of a maze? Was that it? Or was the maze just beyond THAT wall? She'd noticed that there were three other locations that looked like they could open just like this one. Did that mean that they could close? Would other walls open in the morning? A million more questions flooded her.

There was a loud and almost howling whoosh of air that came from within and breathed out at the gathered crowd. It was like the maze knew that they were out there…waiting. There was quiet chatter, but no one spoke to her. She looked to Sara. "Does it close? Is that what happens?"

"You don't want to be stuck out in the maze at night," was Sara's only response.

Her heart started to thud in her chest. Panic and fear gripped her and she didn't know why she felt that way. She didn't know any of the Runners. Did she? She kept feeling like she knew people, so maybe she did…maybe she just didn't remember? All she could think was that there was so many unknown variables…so many nightmares that could lie in the maze…and all they did was stand there…waiting.

Waiting.

"It's going to be close," someone said.

Her eyes were on the maze and she just hoped that her heart wasn't beating as loud as it was in her ears. She hoped that everyone couldn't hear it. Why was she so worried? Why was she so panicked? Why did this seem familiar? It was like the maze was almost calling to her. She waited there with everyone else and she wondered if the Runners would make it back in time. How did they know the time? Did The Wall close the same time every day? No matter the time of year? She suddenly wondered if The Glade always had the weather it had.

Suddenly, there was other noise. It wasn't from the crowd that had formed, but rather from inside of the maze. Four Runners came bolting down the corridor of maze that led to the crowd just as there was a thundering sound. She was the only one who jumped in response. No one else seemed the least bit fazed. She didn't know how they couldn't be. The Wall doors suddenly started to slowly slid closed. The Runners made it through in time, but she found herself taking a couple of steps back as The Wall doors noisily slid shut in front of them. Her eyes moved upward, she didn't know what she expected to see. All it was was the stone gates.

Was that what they were?

Were they gates?

It hit her all of the sudden, if there was a maze…did that mean there was a way out? Obviously there was no Minotaur in the middle. She ASSUMED that The Glade was in the middle, though, of course…it was her first day…she was the newbie…she could be completely wrong. But was that what the Runners did? Did they look for a way out? She looked over to ask Sara, but found her there kissing Oliver. So, she looked the other way. A slight tinge of jealousy hit her, but she didn't know why.

Eventually, everyone else moved away from The Wall, from the gates…and headed back to the small compound. They weren't really houses, they were more like open air structures that formed roofs and posts here and there. Everyone either slept on a mat on the floor or slept in a hammock. Sara had already shown her that some of the structures were more private. They were always being fixed and put up with the growth of The Glade, so it wasn't a surprise. With more people, they needed more roof over those heads. 

* * *

Sara had been right.

It was seriously a huge bash. The fire formations were huge, larger than she stood, which she kept thinking was dangerous. There was definitely a lot of alcohol passing hands. She had no idea how they brewed or mixed that much, but apparently a guy named Cisco was responsible for that. She hadn't met him yet, but he was definitely everyone's best buddy. It was fun, though. She was learning things about the people that she was apparently going to be living with. So far, she hadn't come across anyone that she'd felt the need to steer clear of, but the night was still young (or so she assumed). Certain people there, though, she'd feel a dash of familiarity. It was disconcerting and questions just raced through her head.

"Hey…you doing okay?"

She turned to find Sara there, Oliver in tow, looking concerned. John had assigned Sara to sort of be a guide of sorts, but she'd thought that that had already ended. Would she basically babysit her until she figured out how to live in The Glade? "There's just a lot…going on…and I'm new…everyone seems to have a clique." She motioned around. "Everyone seems to be having a good time, though…"

"You're cute," Sara told her with a huge smile as she grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of where the alcohol was being served. "Hey Cisco," Sara greeted the keeper of the booze. She swore that Sara was a bit flirty, but then she really didn't know how everyone was or how many drinks Sara had already had.

"This the newbie?" Cisco asked.

She found herself almost half hiding behind Oliver and Sara, a tad shy all of the sudden. "Hi," she finally said.

"Hi," Cisco said and seemed to be looking her over. His skin was tan and his dark hair was longer than any other male she'd seen so far. She wasn't sure if he was just a really happy person or if perhaps he'd already been sampling his own brew and that had made him as happy as he seemed. "Making new friends?"

"Not…really…"

"We're going to fix that, though," Sara said as she handed her a handmade cup of alcohol. "This…and then you're going to meet Caitlin."

"Caitlin is definitely a good choice," Cisco told her with a huge nod. "Though, she can be moody…just FYI…"

Sara seemed to just brush that comment off. "Let's go meet Caitlin," she said as Sara pushed her along with drink in hand. Sara drank her drink as they went along, Oliver was just following slowly behind them drinking his beverage as he trailed. Sara faced her forward. "You need a buddy, I'm sure that Caitlin will be a good fit for you…maybe you'll even end up on the same work detail…"

"What kind of work does she do?" she asked Sara.

"Medical stuff," Sara responded.

She suddenly felt a little ill. "Oh…no…definitely not that," she prattled on as she felt her gag reflex kicking in. "No…not that. I don't remember who I am, but I remember that that…not going to happen…"

"Oh-kay…" Sara seemed amused for a moment. "At least that's something, right?"

Maybe.

Suddenly they found themselves standing out the outskirts of the party. A young woman was sitting in the grass, imbibing alone. "Hey Cait," Sara greeted. "I was hoping that you wouldn't mind hanging out with our newbie tonight…"

"I'm not really in a very social mood tonight," Caitlin replied a bit coldly.

Familiar.

Caitlin was familiar to her and her sadness seemed somewhat familiar to her too. "I don't need entertaining," she spoke up. Caitlin was pretty. Long chestnut brown hair that had tones of darker and light browns as well as coppers and reds. Her eyes were bright brown and there was so much sadness, but also happiness in them. She could tell that Caitlin was a very sensitive and emotional person, even if she seemed cold. Caitlin was dressed like most people that she'd seen in The Glade, but there was something different about how Caitlin presented herself and though she wasn't joining in with the others tonight, she didn't seem like the kind of person to be a loner. Caitlin, however, was still familiar…burningly so. "Just…really don't know anyone and—"

Still cold, Caitlin questioned, "You wanted a buddy?"

"Actually…I was hoping that I'd remember something," she confessed.

Caitlin smiled a little. "Yeah…it sucks… The brain is a cruel thing sometimes…"

"See, you two are getting along," Sara said quickly and patted her shoulder before pushing her forward. "You two have fun!" Before she could say anything, Sara and Oliver were both gone.

Taking a seat in the grass next to Caitlin, she pushed a strand of hair back before taking a sip of the alcohol. "Well, I guess I was kind of the third wheel…"

"No worries," Caitlin said evenly. "If you weren't so NEW, they might have invited you along…"

"What?" Felicity questioned, sure she'd understood incorrectly as she turned to look at Caitlin, who just shrugged. "You don't mean—"

"Oh, I do!"

Felicity was suddenly looking in the direction that Sara and Oliver had headed off in. "Really?"

"Oh…really…" Caitlin replied. "I hope you're a heavy sleeper…"

"I don't know."

"Well, you're going to find out."

She wasn't sure IF she wanted to find out.

"But they…they do that—"

"Oh, no…I mean THEY have their own little hut thing…but it doesn't have walls…" Caitlin shrugged. "This place really isn't a place to be overly modest, not that I'm saying that modesty isn't a good thing. You'll understand by morning and wish that people were more modest, too."

"Well," she replied finally. She had been letting the words sink in. REALLY sink in. "Thank you for letting me know…"

"It's going to be a sex zone," Caitlin warned. "Just…so you know…"

"Great."

"I'll show you the best place to sleep tonight," Caitlin offered. "Unless you feel the urge to…" Caitlin motioned towards everyone else. "Go and join in…with…the…festivities…"

"Festivities?" she asked cluelessly for a moment and then it hit her, hard like a truck. "Oh! Oh… No, no… I don't think I'll be joining in for sex tonight. I'm good." Blush rose in her cheeks and she looked away until the red heat drained from her face.

"You know, some say that if you get yourself completely drunk…that while you're sobering up the hard way, that'll help speed up you knowing who you are," Caitlin said. "Though, I really don't take stock in that way of doing things…it just seems reckless… I mean, what did your body do to you to deserve that?"

"Well, I know that doesn't mean that you don't drink because…I see you drinking," she pointed out.

"And sometimes I get drunk," Caitlin admitted with a shrug. "Just not this time."

"Why is it different?"

"I was thinking about someone?"

"Someone from your life before The Glade?" she asked, wondering if maybe Caitlin had remembered more than just her name.

"No," Caitlin replied confused. A deep confusion spread across her features for a moment before she continued on. "His name was Ronnie." There was great sadness in Caitlin's voice and she could tell that he meant something to Caitlin and likely, he wasn't around any longer. She remembered Sara explaining about the graves in the woods, but they hadn't gone in. "He died a couple of weeks ago…and I guess…it just hits me…here and there…"

"You loved him."

Caitlin was quiet for a long moment before finally finishing the rest of her nearly full cup in one gulp. "Yes," she finally replied. "He was different than everyone else. He always felt like home to me, from the moment I met him on my first day."

"Like you remembered him, but you didn't?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't the one who felt the same way. "Like he was familiar?"

"I don't know if that's exactly how I'd describe it," Caitlin told her, dashing her hopes. There was a silence before Caitlin looked over at her and spoke again. "Why? Do people feel familiar to you?"

"Is that weird?"

"Are you saying that that's what's going on?"

She didn't know whether to hold it in or to tell her. Truthfully, her mind could just be playing tricks on her. This was all new (or at least she was fairly sure it was…but she couldn't really be sure) to her. Caitlin, though, her head and her heart kept telling that that she was a good person, that she could trust her, that she was familiar to her…in a good way. "You seem familiar to me."

"Me?"

She nodded.

"Really?"

She nodded again.

"That's…weird."

"Is it?"

"I mean, obviously we all had a life before The Glade," Caitlin replied. "Or well, we SHOULD have all had lives before we came here… Some people think this is a prison…that we're being punished for something." She paused. "But I don't believe that…I mean, at least…not for me…maybe some of the guys here…but then…I think it's hard to judge people who don't remember anything but their name."

That took a while to settle in her head. It was a lot to take in.

"You know, deep talk like this…" Caitlin spoke up after some time, lifting her cup. "I think we're going to need refills…" They got up and headed back towards where the alcohol was kept. "Have you met Cisco yet?"

"Yes."

"Did he seem familiar to you?"

"I…don't…know…" she said slowly. "I didn't really talk to him for more than a moment."

"Well, I guess we'll find out…"

They went and got their refills and she tried not to let her eyes linger on couples and groups of people that had disrobed and were entangled. "You really weren't exaggerating," she whispered and her eyes moved to Caitlin, who was looking straightforward as they walked.

"I told you," Caitlin replied sing-songly. "And it only gets louder…and involving less clothing…and far more drinking…"

Blush was rising in her cheeks, unable to unsee some of what she'd just seen. A hand went up to try to shield herself from what was going on in her peripheral while the other held her beverage in the other. "Is this EVERY night? Or just…once a month?"

"Oh, it's definitely worse during the monthly newbie party…but there's all kind of…intimate activity…on a nightly basis."

"It's…awkward…"

"You likely won't get used to it, either," Caitlin told her as they moved away from the party.

The two walked onward towards The Wall when a loud roar came from that direction. She and Caitlin came to a sudden halt. "What the he—"

"Griever."

"Greif?"

"GrieVer," Caitlin corrected.

"What's a Griever?"

"A monster."

Silence.

It took her a moment to process what Caitlin had said and wondered if it was just from the amount of alcohol she'd taken in or if she'd misheard her. "A monster? What kind of monster? Have you seen one?"

Caitlin looked like she'd just said the most insane thing ever. "Of course I haven't seen it! It's only inside The Maze. Are you crazy?! We should just thank our lucky stars that Grievers stay on the other side of The Wall."

"But you KNOW it's a monster and it's called a Griever?" she asked in confusion.

"The Runners… They've seen them in The Maze."

"THEM? How many Grievers are there?"

"What do I look like? The Maze Encyclopedia?!"

"Well, I'm NEW!"

"And you seem to like information."

She stopped.

She thought.

She did.

"I don't like mysteries, they need to be solved," she told Caitlin.

That seemed to ease Caitlin in some way. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"We can be buddies…stick with me," Caitlin told her and grabbed her arm and led her back towards the party. "I'll show you the real ropes around he—"

A fight suddenly broke out. Shouting and obviously everyone's attention was pulled from whatever they were doing to what was now going on. Caitlin pulled her along and she didn't argue. In the middle of it all, someone that was familiar to her, Roy, and then someone else were fist fighting in the middle of everyone. Some people were fully dressed and some people were just draped with fabric.

"What the hell is going on?!" suddenly bellowed from behind them in a deep voice.

"We're going to want to stay back," Caitlin told her, holding onto her.

John walked through everyone and wasn't there to break apart the fight, actually Oliver and Sara had come from somewhere and were holding the two fighting apart. Sara was skillfully wrapped up in a piece of cloth while Oliver seemed to just be wearing boxers. She'd been told earlier that fighting wasn't tolerated or anything worse… The fact that she had to be warned of that, it had scared her…but things had seemed peaceful enough in The Glade…up until now.

"What the hell is going on here?!" John asked.

Roy practically pulled himself from Oliver's hold as he pointed at the other guy. "He freaking kissed Thea!"

Silence spread out.

John wasn't really loud now. It was like clarity hit the whole group. "Well, then…I think for tonight…everyone's had enough to drink," John said far too calmly. "Cisco! Put it away!" He looked to Oliver and Sara. "Put these two in The Slammer for the night…let them sober up." John looked around, seeming to take in every person in the audience. "Everyone to bed!"

"We're going to want to move," Caitlin said as she steered her away.

She looked in the direction that Sara and Oliver dragged Roy and his fight buddy away. The Slammer. That hadn't been part of her tour earlier. Caitlin just tugged her along. Suddenly, she found herself as her head swung around, a rather large and mostly naked chest. She was back in the grass on her back, staring upward at the star-lit sky. Her head spun a bit and Caitlin was standing over her, her mouth was opening and closing.

Was Caitlin speaking?

Shaking her head as she squeezed her eyes shut, she took a moment to try to settle herself. Her eyes opened again and more than just Caitlin were hovering over her. Caitlin seemed to be checking her to ensure that she was okay. She was fairly sure that she was okay.

Felicity.

She blinked and grasped at that thought.

Felicity.

Her name.

Her name!

"I'm okay," Felicity forced out. Caitlin seemed to take a breath and relax a bit as she helped her to sit up. "My name…" she whispered. Her head turned to Caitlin, wonder in her voice as she finally spoke again. "My name is Felicity." 

* * *

TBC… 


	2. Home

**Author's Note:** This will be the last chapter before the rating is jacked up to M (E on AO3). Just a warning.

* * *

Everything was a bright contrast of colors. Bold and yet blurred. Soft and yet clear. She was standing in a place that she both didn't know, but she understood. Felicity was alone as she spun in a circle. Blues and greens everywhere in the room and then suddenly everything cleared enough so that she could focus. She was in a room. A room that had multiple computer stations along one wall. Along another wall seemed to be an infirmary and medical lab of sorts, a metal table nearby. On another wall, a row of glass cases…

Felicity found herself moving towards them, as if she were being tugged to them. Her eyes widened, but it wasn't surprising even though it WAS surprising. Damn, she hated to feel so conflicted. There were eight cases in all, they were perfectly lit up to show off the suits inside. The first one drew her and kept her there as her hand moved out to touch the glass. The suit inside was green…it was made of leather and cloth with a hood. In the case was a bow and a quiver full of arrows with green and yellow fletchings.

She stopped for a moment, her hand finally pressing against the glass. Questions floating through her head. How did she know all of these things? How did she know all of these words? Was this her life before? Was this what she didn't remember? Was this a team of some kind? Was that why there were eight cases? Her mind floated back to the green costume, it was obviously for a man and she couldn't stop staring at it thinking that there was something so right about it. Her eyes moved to the side, to the next case. This one was for a woman, white leather and a bo staff was in the case. Felicity realized that she felt a connection to that suit as well. Quickly, she took in every suit and found herself feeling like she knew them all…that she had some kind of connection to them.

When her head started to spin, she pushed herself away and turned her back to the only wall that she hadn't looked at yet. What she saw then, it scared her. A row of stasis pods lined the wall…which wasn't exactly a wall to the room, but a wall that was a hallway. Felicity stepped towards the pods and realized that one still housed someone. As she got closer, she felt sick as she looked in both directions and saw the pods stretch down the corridor. Unlike in the lab or whatever stood in the room behind her, the walls were concrete grey. The pods illuminated the hallway, giving it a soft blue glow. It didn't help it feel any less ominous though.

Turning to look back to the occupied pod, she also realized that it was the only one that she'd spotted that had a small bright purple light that was illuminated near what seemed like the handle to the pod, all the rest had been red. As she stared at the pod, she reached forward, her hand gliding across the smooth surface of the glossy white stasis pod. Her eyes taking in the resident and something tugged inside of her. She knew him. It was like with the others, but being there…seeing him…it was stronger.

"Ray," she breathed.

Dark brown hair and such a kind face. Felicity stood there staring at him. Ray Palmer. She knew him. They'd worked together. He had brown eyes. He was a good person. She knew this as well as she knew her name was Felicity. It felt like something had hit her suddenly. Was it because she was remembering? Even if it was just a bit? Was it something else? More? Tears filled her eyes as she battled the emotions. Taking a step back, she looked at how to release him, but then the large black letters across the bottom of the pod caught her eye.

ARGUS. 

* * *

Felicity sat straight up and found herself panting, trying to catch her breath. It took a moment before the memories or the dream…the memory of the dream…until they hit her. Had it been real? Was it a memory? Was Ray a real person? He wasn't somebody that she'd seen so far.

"You okay?"

Looking over, she found Caitlin sitting not far, just staring at her. Did she tell her? No one else remembered things or felt that people were familiar, no one except her. Did she really need to be branded some kind of outcast more than she was for just being new? Felicity didn't think so. Not until she knew more. Not until she knew whether it was just her brain making things up or if Ray and that place were real.

"Yeah, just…I don't even remember what it was…" Felicity lied.

"Nightmare. Some people have them, but it's usually the Runners…"

Felicity just stared at her for a moment and then the sounds of moans floated towards them. She just looked at Caitlin for an explanation. She KNEW what the moans were from, she wasn't stupid, but did people really just have sex all the time there? There were no walls. There were support poles and roofs, that was it.

"Welcome to the full Glade experience," Caitlin said with a shrug. "If we're lucky…someone's already making breakfast." She paused for a minute as her fingers combed through her long brown hair. She still looked tired, Felicity still felt tired. They hadn't had that much to drink, but there had been multiple times in which Felicity had woken up because of all of the loud sexual activity going on around them. "I'd appreciate coffee."

"Yeah, me too," she found herself saying.

Someone joined them a moment later. He looked young, but so had Cisco and Caitlin. Felicity couldn't quite put ages on everyone, but it was clear that John was the eldest of the group. He had brown hair that seemed to go in every direction and bright blue eyes that seemed to shine from excitement that was emanating from inside of him. A smile spread across his face and she wondered if he was one of those people who was always happy. He sat down right next to Caitlin, their sides touching and he just laid his head on her shoulder. "Morning," he greeted.

"Morning," Caitlin replied and a smile spread out across her face the moment he touched her. It was like his happiness was contagious. This was the happiest that Felicity had seen Caitlin since she'd arrived and met her. She'd seemed so sad the night before and Caitlin had told her all about Ronnie and it had been clear that they'd been in love.

"You're Felicity, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Felicity confirmed. It was nice to know her name. It was a minor thing, but it was also something so huge when that was all you knew about yourself.

"I'm Barry," he said as he leaned forward, extending a hand.

As Felicity shook it, she felt a wave of deja vu and like so many people, he was familiar. She stared at him and couldn't help but smile in return. He released her hand and she watched as his arm wrapped around Caitlin and squeezed her to him. Whatever their relationship, Caitlin seemed happy and right now that's all that Felicity was really concerned about in any way. With a place like The Glade and the fact that no one remembered anything of their life before (all save their name), it seemed important to forge loving relationships of any kind."

"Good to meet you," Felicity said again.

Caitlin pointed to her. "You're making that familiar face."

"I make a face?"

"Oh, there's a face," Caitlin said quite seriously as she straightened.

"What is this familiar face for?" Barry asked. "Familiar people? Do you REMEMBER things?"

As much as she felt like she could trust both Barry and Caitlin, Felicity held back. This was only her second day and to be fair…she hadn't been in The Glade for even a full day yet. "Am I really the only person who feels like people are familiar?"

"Yeah," Barry said quickly and leaned forward, pulling his head off of Caitlin's shoulder. His hand reached out, though, to hold hers…always maintaining contact. "But I think that's interesting…" He looked to Caitlin now. "It's interesting, right?"

"You and I might think that, but not sure that others would feel that way," Caitlin said honestly.

And Felicity was sure that she was right.

Why was she different?

"So, I should probably not say anything?" Felicity asked.

"Who else feels familiar?" Barry asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"She hasn't met EVERYONE," Caitlin pointed out.

"Oliver, Roy, John, Sara…" Felicity started to rattle off. "You, Caitlin, Cisco…"

"Wow…really?" Barry questioned and seemed blown away.

"Really."

All of the sudden she wondered if she should have said something about the dream that she'd had right before she'd woken up. If Barry seemed familiar and felt like a safe person to talk to and so did Caitlin, why keep it all to herself? What if that was the problem with everyone? No one ever talked about dreams or what could be memories? Or was she truly special in that department? It just didn't make sense to her to be the only one who saw bits and pieces and who felt…the way that she felt.

"Just…don't tell anyone else just yet," Caitlin said. "Maybe it's a fluke… I mean, you haven't met EVERYONE." There was a beat. "I mean, it's hard to think that we're all connected in a life outside of here…"

"Why?" Barry asked.

Caitlin seemed genuinely surprised by Barry's question and she just stared at him. All Felicity could think was that she wanted to see where this was going. It wasn't that she didn't trust Caitlin, but Barry made a good point. Felicity wasn't sure how long Barry had been in The Glade, but it was already longer than she had been in there…so he had to know what he was talking about, right? At least a little bit.

"Maybe that's why I feel close to you," Barry said gently. "Maybe that's why some of us are attracted to each other… Maybe we don't feel familiar in the same way Felicity does, but maybe…deep down we KNOW…we know that we should be together in some way…"

Felicity just looked between the two of them.

Silence.

Thoughts spun through her head.

Felicity went to tell them about the dream. "I—"

"Are you guys just going to sit around all day?"

They all looked behind her to see Sara standing there, Oliver nearby. Felicity noticed that it seemed like Oliver was always really quiet and almost brooding. "Uh…we were…" Felicity stumbled as she tried to put together words that made sense.

"You're cute," Sara told her with a bright smile as she stared down at her. She crouched down behind her and without saying anything, Sara slid the band from her hair until her golden locks hit her shoulders. Felicity was a bit surprised at how long and full it actually was. She hadn't really bothered with it or worried about it. Sara's fingers ran along her scalp and through her hair, which she found relaxing, but odd at the same time. Maybe it was because she was uncomfortable with Sara there (and Oliver looming nearby) and keeping such a secret from them. A couple of minutes later, Sara set a banded end of a braid on her shoulder. "Now…you three need not dawdle much longer unless you intend on missing breakfast…"

"We weren't sure if people were clothed," Caitlin spoke up.

"Most people are," Oliver told them. "We're already behind though and if we don't all get a move on, John's not going to be happy with anyone in The Glade today…not even if you're the newbie…or a favorite…"

Sara smirked back at him and then got to her feet. "He's right, let's go…all of you…lots to do today."

"Where are you putting Felicity today?" Caitlin asked.

Everyone had a job. Today, they would start her on a rotation that would help her figure out how best she could contribute to The Glade. "I can tell you now, without putting anyone through the torture of it… I'm not good with pointy things or blood…so any job like that, I just…" Felicity felt sick at the thought and started to feel physically ill from the thought alone.

"Calm down," Sara said. "We get it…no need to throw up whatever might still be in your stomach to prove it to us all." She helped Felicity to her feet. "Breakfast and then the garden for you…"

"You can spend the entire day chatting with Iris and Thea…it'll be good," Barry said enthusiastically.

At least she'd know some more people and Barry seemed to think that that was an exciting thing. Whatever the dream was, Felicity realized as they moved towards where she had to think breakfast was waiting for them all, this was her life. Now…and for however long, this was her life. 

* * *

"Why do you do this?"

"It's the closest thing to a record we have," Roy explained. They were standing along a section of wall near not far from the wooded area which had names carved in it. Some of them were crossed through, but you could still read the names. There were a lot of them. There were far more names of people who were still alive than people who had been killed. Felicity took that as a good sign. "John's been here the longest. He started it when the first person in The Glade was killed."

"How were they killed?"

"Grievers…in the maze."

"What exactly ARE Grievers?" Felicity asked. Caitlin hadn't really told her more than that they lived in the maze and that they were monsters. Felicity hated mysteries. She needed to know what Grievers were. "Has anyone actually SEEN one?"

"Oh, they've been seen," Roy insisted as he handed her a crude chisel and hammer. "I haven't seen one personally and I'm glad that I haven't… I used to envy the Runners, but you know what? I'd rather not have the nightmares that those guys have. I'm happy staying in The Glade everyday building stuff. There's always something that needs to be built or fixed." He shook his head. "I can tell you this, though, they apparently look like enormous spiders…bigger than our huts…and I don't know about you, but the only bug that I ever want to see is one that I can squash under my boot."

A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of a spider that size, one that was considered monstrous. Putting the chisel to The Wall, she took probably far too long using it and the hammer to engrave her name on the wall near where Caitlin's name was. It as more than odd to engrave her name…and she kept screwing it up. Most of the names didn't look perfect, though.

"Where you scheduled to work today?" Roy asked as he just leaned up against the wall.

"Gardens."

"Hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Let me just tell you that it sounds all flowery and easy, but freaking gardening is HARD work."

"Noted," Felicity responded with a small smile. "I don't think I mind hard work…I just know that I can't do blood or needles or pointy things…makes me ill just thinking about it…" She really just felt like there needed to be a label on her person that explained all of those things. Felicity supposed that at least she KNEW those things about herself before throwing herself into an ugly situation and just throwing up or passing out from being around those things. "What do you do?"

"I'm a Builder."

"Builder, right…that explains your building and fixing things," Felicity said suddenly feeling stupid. It really wasn't her fault, though. She hadn't been there very long and she was still logging how everything worked and all the jobs within The Glade. "Right…"

Roy just smirked. "No worries. Just wait until the end of the week, you'll have figured it all out…or at least…mostly."

"So? Now that my name is up here…does that mean that I'm official?"

"Something like that," Roy shrugged off. "You're still the newbie, though…until next month when we get a new one."

Ugh.

A whole month.

It wasn't that newbie WASN'T a correct description of what she was, but it was the fact that she didn't really like the thought of being labeled a newbie. Sure, it was what she was, but…but she didn't FEEL that way. There was so much she didn't know about The Glade or the people or the maze or anything else, BUT people felt familiar. She couldn't shake it. To Felicity, she didn't feel like she was new. She felt like this was all part of something that was locked away in her brain.

"You okay?"

"What?"

"You sort of zoned out there for a moment."

"Was just thinking…"

"Lost in thoughts, huh?" Roy asked. "I suppose some of us have to actually use our brains…"

"It's just not our brains, but our hearts…that's why you got into trouble last night, wasn't it?" Felicity asked, she'd suddenly remembered that Roy had ended up in their version of jail. There had been a fight over a woman.

"I think some people would argue that it wasn't my head or my heart."

"Don't you care about her?" Felicity asked. It took her a moment to recall the name. The NAME felt familiar. "Thea?" It was so weird. She wasn't even near the woman and she'd just barely SEEN her the night before.

"Yeah, I care about her," Roy said. "I love her."

"So you two are—"

"We don't really do labels here…"

Felicity let out a small laugh. "Really?" All she could think was that all they did was label things. It wasn't even complex labels, they were all simple labels. The Wall. The Glade. Runners. Builders—

"At least not when it comes to relationships," Roy tried to clear up. "You love who you love, right?"

"Right," she blurted out without really thinking about it.

"You know, you should probably get to your job," Roy said as he took the hammer and chisel from her. "Never good to be fooling around on the first day. You might find yourself where I was last night."

"So many nuggets of wisdom," Felicity teased as she headed away from him. All Roy seemed to be able to do was smirk in response.

As she headed for where she was supposed to report, she realized that there was really something to be said about what Roy had said about labels. In relationships, was there EVER really a need for them? Even though she'd been there a day (not even quite a FULL day yet), she'd seen all kinds of relationships flourishing. None of them she thought or felt were wrong. People loved each other and she didn't see why anything should get in the way of that. Though, she felt like she'd learn far more about the complicated relationships of The Glade throughout the day. Caitlin and Barry had told her that they were sure that Iris and Thea would fill her in on everything she really needed to know about living there in The Glade. 

* * *

"Some people might call what we do gossip, but I like to think of it as social networking…and keeping people updated," Iris said matter of factly and almost serious.

Felicity just sort of stood there, picking tomatoes as she mostly let Iris and Thea talk. There were others that were on the same job detail, but they'd found her (apparently Barry had told them to make her feel welcome and vouched for her). It WAS a bit comforting already sort of knowing that you would be dealing with people that you SORT of knew. The weirdest part of it all was that both Iris and Thea felt familiar to her, but she'd noticed that Thea had REALLY felt familiar to her and she kept thinking that there was some link between Thea and Oliver.

How did she know this?

Why would she feel it?

Why was she the ONLY one who did?

Thea just laughed. "Right. That's what we're calling it. As long as we're all on the same page about that."

"Hey, at least I'm an accurate source," Iris tried to defend. "Remember that one time that Roy was trying to relay information and he screwed it up so badly?"

Now Thea was laughing so hard that she couldn't keep her eyes open or even pick a tomato. "Oh my God! That was so crazy! Do you remember the look on everyone's faces when Roy tried to relay it? How screwed up it was?"

"SO screwed up!"

Felicity just watched them in silence as she continued to pick tomatoes, setting them gently in the basket that she was carrying around. This was going to be an interesting day. Iris and Thea definitely seemed nice and the fact that they were both familiar (Thea more so) was going to nag at her all day long. If only she knew WHY people felt familiar to her. It would be easier…or at least she FELT like it would be easier…if she could just remember a little bit.

Not everything.

Just enough.

Was there really a cut off for enough?

Felicity just quietly went on picking tomatoes and taking in what was going on. She was wearing a large brimmed hat, they all were, which kept bothering her as far as feeling like she could see clearly. Being able to see clearly was already something that she'd been struggling with, but she was hoping that it was something that would clear up after a good night's sleep. It hadn't and she didn't say anything to anyone. She'd kept touching the bridge of her nose to push upward all that morning and she'd wondered if she needed glasses. It wasn't bad enough that she was blind, but they were something that she was certain that she'd find helpful.

"How are you liking it here so far?" Thea asked.

It took her a moment to realize that the other woman was talking to her. "It's…okay…"

"Confusing?" Iris prompted.

"Frustrating?" Thea added.

A small smile graced her lips and it helped to ease things a bit. "All of those things."

"It gets easier…"

"You already have some friends…and I think that that's honestly the BIGGEST hurdle," Iris explained. "You're going to be fine. Just stay close to us." They both smiled at her and Felicity told herself that things had to get easier and that things would feel more normal. At least she hoped that they would.

The day passed quickly and Felicity was surprised at how quickly the midday meal came around. Someone delivered them lunch, it wasn't anything complicated. It was a spread of fruits, veggies, some dried meat. The fruit and veggies were cool, though, and she found it extremely refreshing after they'd been working under the warm sun. They all sat in the grass in small groups. Felicity sat with Iris and Thea, she was fairly sure that the woman had been ordered to keep close with her the ENTIRE day. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming, but Felicity still couldn't shake the feelings she felt or the dream she'd had.

"You know what we should do?" Iris spoke up. "We should introduce you to some of the guys."

Felicity just blinked at Iris. She'd just gotten there and barely knew her name, let alone who she really was. She didn't really know anything EXCEPT her name at that point. There wasn't even a certainty on what her job would be, though Thea had told her earlier that if she did okay with them that John would likely just keep her assigned there instead of trying to push her to try out all of the other job assignments. "I—I don't know about that," she blurted out.

"Oh, it'll be FUN!" Thea insisted.

"I don't know," Felicity mumbled. It seemed like so many men in The Glade had one thing on their mind and Felicity just wasn't sure that she was ready for that. There were so many other things for her to work out.

"Seriously, you HAVE to let us introduce you to some people…or let Sara."

"Sara might just keep her for herself!" Iris said. 

* * *

The day went by and The Wall closed up like it did like the night before. It bothered Felicity. The Wall. It wasn't that it had closed or that it opened everyday, it was the fact that it was a mystery. It was the fact that no matter what, it seemed like there were always more questions.

Questions upon questions.

Maybe that was why she was having a hard time coming to terms with living in The Glade. Maybe that was why she couldn't just settle in. Everyone else seemed to be okay with it. Everyone else had been there longer than she had. They had had time to come to terms with the world that they were currently living in. Felicity wasn't sure if she was ready to do that, there were so many things that bothered her…that nagged at her…that ate away at her.

Not enough answers.

Felicity had found herself eating alone that night. It wasn't a big deal, she didn't feel sad or excluded. She'd seen Caitlin and she'd offered her company during dinner, but she'd been sitting with Barry and they'd seemed…close…and Caitlin had seemed so happy. Felicity hadn't wanted to be a third wheel or keep anything from happening between the two of them. She didn't want to upset what was already the norm within The Glade, it just didn't seem like who she was.

"You seem lonely."

Felicity looked up and was a bit surprised to find Sara standing over her, Oliver not far behind. Shrugging, she looked down at the simple meal on the wooden carved plate before looking back up at Sara. "Sometimes quiet is good."

Sara beamed. "We don't get a lot of quiet here."

"I've noticed…"

"Why don't you come and join us tonight?" Sara questioned as she nodded back towards Oliver.

Felicity blinked a couple of times. "Don't want to be a third wheel or interrupt or anything…"

"I promise you won't do either."

Was there really a polite way out of that? She knew that she could just decline, but that just seemed like somehow she'd end up with more problems. There were only people who felt familiar and people who didn't there. It was all black and white to her, there were no grey areas. Sara and Oliver felt familiar to her, it seemed wrong not to see where that took them. So, she nodded and gathered up what was left of her dinner and got to her feet.

It led to more than just dinner. There was conversation and for the first time since he'd dropped into The Box with Roy, Felicity had heard Oliver say more than three words. Laughter filled the confines of their wall-less hut. Sara had even managed a small container of Cisco's special brew, which seemed to just make them all laugh more.

Sara's head rested on hers momentarily, her blonde hair tickling the exposed skin of her shoulder. There was something so comforting being in their presence, she didn't know why. There was just comfort there. Did it really matter WHY they were familiar? WHY they were comfortable to her? WHY she felt like this could suddenly be her world? It wasn't just them, it was everyone else in The Glade that were familiar to her and she realized that it wasn't The Glade…but the PEOPLE that made her feel like she was HOME.

Felicity wasn't sure how people could do that, but they did…it didn't QUITE feel right, her mind wandering back to the dream she'd had that morning. The man in the stasis chamber. Ray. She was connected to him, too. Right now, though, she felt like she needed to let it all go, give in, just for the night…to let herself feel like she could be home with these people…

Home.

Suddenly a kiss was dropped along her shoulder. Felicity snapped back to reality and realized it was Sara. Their eyes met and Sara just smiled and Felicity found herself melting. Was it the kisses? The touches? The company? Or was it just the alcoholic beverage that Cisco had brewed up?

Home.

The feeling kept echoing throughout her entirely. There was this overwhelming happiness, she realized that she felt when Sara was around. She didn't know why. Yes, she felt familiar…but it wasn't something she'd realized until that moment.

Familiar.

Happy.

Home.

That seemed like enough in that moment as she reached out to cup Sara's cheek before their lips crashed upon each other. There was something eager in the kiss and the embrace. Felicity completely lost track of where Oliver was (if he was even still there), all she cared about in that moment was to lose herself.

And she was lost.

Lost.

It was a good kind of lost.

Lost.

Though, lost just the same.

Lost.

And there were no regrets.

Lost. 

* * *

TBC… 


End file.
